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Agnazari Empire
The Agnazari Empire was founded by Ciprian Agnazari in 328 and eventually became the most extensive governing body in the history of man. Before 328, they were known as AgnaCorp, a dynastic trade conglomerate of Dar origin. Move from being a megacorp to a galactic empire began in 322 when Trai ceded from the Maketal Republic to be annexed by AgnaCorp in exchange of forfeiture of debt. It sparked the Gateway War (323-324), which eventually led to the demise of the Serene Republics as the Gateway War pitted them against each other. The Agnazari Empire was officially formed in 328, but in 351 it truly became an empire in 351 when Emperor had annexed the Serene Republics as a whole, mostly through relatively peaceful means. The reign of the Agnazari was long and mostly prosperous. They enjoyed long bouts of relative peace and extreme prosperity. Especially during the Corentin era between 480-665. The end of the Corentin era marked a slow decline of the empire. Several reclines occured, but the true decline began in 769 as the whole paternal arm of the Agnazari Empire died in a terrorist attack in orbit of Ikinhun. The matrilineal families of the dynasty came into power. Frequent infighting caused the empire to decline even further, peaking with the death of Emperor Iupiter Necazari. Leading to the imperial schism, and eventually the Elector War, which is considered the de facto end of the empire, with the end of the war being the de jure end of the empire after 508 years of existence. It split into the Necazari Federation and the Ashanar Confederacy. _________________________________________________________________________________________ History = Beginnings Before the foundation of the empire, the Agnazari dynasty were traders specializing in galactic trade, which eventually became a wildly successful corporation hailing from Arcazar. In 157 when Arcazar was first colonized it bore a different name, and so did the Agnazari. The sector was settled by the Dar’Cazar. Led by Chorgan Urbish Cazar. By 187 the line of Urbish had perished to disease along with almost five million Dar’Cazari. The next line within the Dar caste, the Dag, struggled with each other for the title of Chorgan. Eventually a young man came into prominence, Herzhad Dag’Nazari who opted for a reformation. The title of Chorgan was no more. Each Dar, Dag, and Dul governed themselves with a representative at a parliament. They were not the first Dar to attempt it, but they were the first to succeed. Within a generation the Dar’Cazari community went through major change. Many families dropped the traditional name styling to accommodate their biggest business partners, the Serene Republics. The Act in big part was made to separate the Dar from the Republics. Since pre-industrialization the Dar tribes did not gel well with the Copti, Bas, Maketali or Tyraph. They wanted to draw a line between them and the Dar’Abbah and Dar’Qacha when dealing with the Serene Republics. On the other hand with the Arcazari people would meet other Dar, they really quickly turn into Dar’Cazari. To live tall in both worlds. Arcazari merchants even adopted first names that were more familiar to member Republics, while keeping their modified last names. After the formation of the empire it even became common for prominent Arcazari, and the Agnazari themselves to have two first names, which they would juggle, depending on who they were talking to. Rise The year 287 was the year when the name Agnazari became important outside Arcazar when Serene rule divided Sectorate rule between the republics. The prolific Foundries of Daghzaggat had produced a sizable trade fleet which they sent far and wide across the galaxy. Partnering up with failing colonies who had potential to be profitable. It was a gamble that paid off and eventually spread to every known sector. The real rise happened with the invention of the Tarazi Gateways. It changed interstellar travel forever. Allowing FTL speeds previously thought impossible. AgnaCorp kept the design a closely knit secret as the Foundries of Daghzaggat manufactured gateways for the whole galaxy. It garnered such prestige for the Agnazari dynastic that in 318 they were offered a seat at the Serene Council. The only corporate member. In 322, AgnaCorp annexed the bankrupt Trai system as it ceded from the Maketal Republic as a way to recuperate the massive debt owed by the Trai government to AgnaCorp. A deal that the Trai government suggested. What followed was *the Gateway War*. An emergency meeting was summoned in Nacai, where the Maketali leadership threatened military action if the system was not returned of rightful rulership. The Agnazari board of directors promised to return the Trai system to Maketal, when all its debts were paid, including Maketal, which was also heavily in debt with AgnaCorp. In 323 (Also known as the beginning of the Gateway War), the Maketali Navy embargoed Trai, obliterated AgnaCorp’s naval presence, and destroying two Gateways in the process. As the Agnazari protested at the Serene Council, The Maketali continued to attack trade ports and gateways belonging to AgnaCorp. Even launching an invasion into Arcazar (then known as Dar’Cazar), the home sector of AgnaCorp. Soon Maketal faced heavy resistance, but not from AgnaCorp, as they could not match the Maketal naval might in any capacity. The Basian and Tyraphic navies intercepted. Maketal’s actions caused a breakdown in trade across the sectorates. AgnaCorp threatened to shut down the *Tarazi network* if no actions were taken. Bas and Tyraph sided with the Agnazari, while Copti and the newly Sectorized Iastia joined Maketal. The Agnazari Corporation, as effective rulers of Arcazar reached out their fellow Dar in Dar’Abbah and Dar’Qacha. Bound by brotherhood, the Dar tribes launched a full scale invasion into Copti. An attack so vicious it is still spoken of today. In the beginning of 324, Maketal unilaterally surrendered, an event known as the *Serene Scism.* Copti, Maketal, and Iastia lost their seats on the council, and became vassal states. Empire formed In the span of two years after the war, three other systems joined. Iustur and Ophi swore fealty under similar circumstances as Trai in 326. In 328 Bahadur requested to join the AgnaCorp fold. Ciprian Agnazari, the dynastic leader and the head of AgnaCorp travelled to Bahadur himself to seal the accord. He used the opportunity to declare the Agnazar a sovereign nation of people of all creeds, an empire in its own right built to ensure prosperity to all. There he drafted the Ciprianic constitution which was used by the Agnazari Empire until its end. And by one of its successor states, the Necazari Federation, while the other successor state uses a modified version. Prosperity rose rapidly within the newly formed empire. It attracted other worlds and systems to join. Especially those on the fringes and those hit hard by the war. The Copti Sectorate was the last one to join the empire, and resisted for quite a while, citing the “Dar War Crimes” in the war as the reason. It eventually succumbed as they could not handle embargo restrictions. In 351, when the construction of the Nacai ring world was announced marked the formal end of the Serene Republics as a political entity. The council was dissolved and replaced with governing body called The Serene Directorate temporarily stationed in Old Nacai until the ring world (New Nacai) had finished construction to replace Old Nacai as the heart of galactic bureaucracy. Expansion Ciprian stepped down as Emperor in 352, less than a year of the formation of the Serene Directorate due to deteriorating health. His nephew Gahdin replaced him and spent the next two decades enacting his uncle’s mandate, and did so successfully. With the *Copti rebellions* being the only black stain on his reign. Carrow & Ocklay In 372 Gahdin stepped down and was replaced by his second son, Oschos. Who in 375 enacted his expansion plan. His plan was to bring the rest of the settled galaxy under Agnazari control via a series of hostile takeovers, performed as non violently as possible. The Carrow Sectorate was the first target. Successfully annexed in its entirety by 389 non violently. Ocklay with its strong ties with Carrow was annexed much quicker, finalized in 392 War of the Dars The Dar Sectorates were much more problematic, as was anticipated by Emperor Oschos. The socio-economic structure of both Dar’Abbah and Dar’Qacha was (and still is) vastly different from the rest of the known galaxy. In 393, Emperor Oschos met with Chargon Balthayar of Dar’Abbah and Chargon Saran of Dar’Qacha in Shain, where Oschos managed to accidentally offend both of the Chargons to such a degree they declared war. Emperor Oschos barely managed to escape with his life The war of the Dars lasted until 402. Oschos resigned soon after the Shain parlay, replaced by his granddaughter Hescula. It was a peculiar war, as it was not about territories or resources. In the eyes of the other Dars, the Agnazari as the head of Arcazar (or Dar’Cazar to them) was the most successful Dar of all. And per ancient tradition the biggest was to share or assimilate, by force. Rumors state that Oschos was forced out of his seat as he was neither able to deal with the Dar threat, nor able to delegate the task. Hescula Agnazari fought in the first Coptic rebellion as admiral. Before the war she was considered unlikely to be chosen for the Seat, after the war she was the automatic choice. In 402 Empress Hescula reached an agreement with the two Chargons to settle for peace. She had already held all strategic targets for four years, but the nomadic nature of the Dar made them hard to pin down. Chargon Balthayar and Chargon Saran´s successor, Guchu agreed to join the greatest Dar, the Dar’Cazar. Empress Hescula immediately relinquished her position after the agreement. Her nephew, Nubain was chosen in a record time. She left Arcazar just after Nubain´s ceremony to go on a deep space exploration, which she did not return from. The Hickory Plot The last portion of settled space was across Eli’s Expanse. Emperor Nubain was considered an expert on the region as he spent a big portion of his formative years in the Hickory Nebulae. The original settlers of the Hickories were the hijackers of the generation ship Eli, hailing from both Carrow and Ocklay. Eli arrived in the Hickory Nebula in 209, and since then it has become a refuge for people of all creeds to live in that high stakes environment. For almost two centuries, the Hickory were left to their own devices. They provided significant trade to the galactic center, most notably the Agnazari Empire. In 405, an event known as "the Hickory plot" in the annals of history began when Emperor Nubain set his eye on assimilating the Hickory into the Agnazari Empire. The tradition of annexation through trade and debts was considered unfeasible, as the only import the Hickory truly relied on was food. A full scale invasion was taken of the table as a lack of in-depth knowledge of the ever shifting Hickories provides a significant home advantage. Instead, Emperor Nubain travelled to Arlow, the only garden world in the Hickory Nebulae wed his daughter, Rehai to Enoch Low, the Lord of Arlow, which was a powerful figure in Hickory politics. Enoch also received substantial gifts. His own Tarazi Gateway, and a class IV Kalavar Destroyer. Jacazar II, the Emperor's brother stayed in the Hickories as company to his sister and as an Agnazari diplomat. This was all a ploy to gain a powerful ally in the Hickories. The future child of Enoch Low. Nubain did not live to see his plot come to fruition, as he passed in 428, and Jacazar took the imperial seat. It came into fruition in 431, when Larius Low, who was tutored by Jacazar from childhood, when he usurped his father and became the Lord of Arlow. He declared himself the ruler of the leaderless Hickories, and declared a war of subjugation on the the whole nebulae, with the backing of his uncle, the Agnazari Emperor. The campaign lasted for thirteen years. After victory was declared, the Lord of the Hickories joined the Agnazari Empire. A few years later, Larius was assassinated near the Wyatt Stations. A precision strike with a meteor, orchestrated by President Hendricks, a known belligerent. In a fit of fury, Emperor Jacazar launched a full scale invasion into the Hickories to attack the domain of President Hendricks. Which happened to be an important trade hub. The status quo did not last long. As Larius was assassinated near the Wyatt Stations. A precision strike with an asteroid from a belligerent known as President Hendricks. Jacazar's campaign resulted in collateral damage that was felt all across the nebulae. Adalina Low, the Lady of Arlow, Larius's successor turned against her great-uncle. Turned off the Tarazi Gateway to cut off his supply line, and attacked the Agnazari fleet with impunity. The Agnazari fleet was forced to retreat as it suffered heavy losses, and eventually regrouped with the largest singular fleet the Agnazari navy ever fielded in a single theater of war. Adalina Low is said to have taken control of the the Enoch, the Kalavan Destroyer gifted to his grandfather and led the Hickory forces against their aggressors. Only fifteen years of age at the time. The war lasted for fifteen years, until Emperor Jacazar II and Adalina reached a peace agreement. So is stated in the agreement: "The Hickory Nation shall enjoy great liberties and autonomy, and remain in the Agnazari Empire. For all intended purposes, the Hickories are an independent nation, but adheres to the Ciprianic Constitution and trade regulations. The Agnazari Navy is forever barred from the Nation's domain, and delegations from the Agnazari Empire are not welcome, unless specifically invited. The Hickory Nation will be granted a seat on the Serene Directorate, but is allowed to ignore its rulings." Emperor Jacazar begrudgingly agreed to the agreement. The success of the Hickory in the war was considered a major upset. And the most embarrassing event in the history of the Agnazari Empire. The Corentin era (478-665) The Corentin era is named after three successive Emperors named Corentin. A father, son, and grandson. All three reigns were long and prosperous. Corentin I Emperor Jacazar II passed in 468 and was replaced by Nubain’s great granddaughter, Alipha. Her tenure lasted ten years before stepping down due to serious ailments. The directives during her reign was focused on stabilizing the realm post-expansion. Which she did very successfully. Historians agree that she laid the groundwork for Corentin I reign. It is said that Corentin accepted the seat reluctantly, even possibly under duress. At the beginning of his reign there were a few minor rebellions what were swiftly crushed. There were also some inter-system conflicts, notably among the Dar, even outside Dar territories. This inspired Corentin to enact a controversial edict. It caused severe disorder in Copti (which was no news), along with Tyraph and Ocklay. The Empire ordered each Sectorate to put forth a list of trade goods it intended on as a focus of trade. The lists were cross referenced and then edited by the Serene Directorate under the council of Emperor Corentin. The ultimate goal was to prevent each sector to be entirely self sufficient. This decision ensured if one sectorate would declare war or intend to cede from the Empire, the sectorate would run out of an essential resource. Ensuring peace via trade. Finalizing the Corentin Edict took years. The Serene Directorate struggled with finalizing the edict. It was finalized in 484. Corentin forced it through, as the Directorate effectively stopped functioning six times during the process. Pundits of the time were sure the Corentin Edict would never work. In 494 they were proved wrong. The galactic economy had never been as strong. Even without the full freedom of commerce, which was the initial idea behind the Agnazari Empire, it blossomed in ways no one could fathom. Systems big or small. The rest of his reign went by with peace and prosperity. Corentin vacated the seat in 525 after a 47 year long reign, at the age of 97. Corentin II Corentin II succeeded his father, and stood in the shadow of his own name. He was determined to make is mark on the galaxy. Using the prosperity of the empire on a never ending which had been marred with setbacks for 174 years. New Nacai When construction began in 351, the Agnazari poured resources into the project. Non stop setbacks. Funding and technological issues stopped the construction for lengthy periods. The longest stop was between 394 and 407, during the beginning of the War of the Dars. Habitats in space had existed since -236 BAT, but the scope of New Nacai, as a fully operational ring world, with its own ecology rotating around the axis of a yellow dwarf eluded the smartest minds. The original architect of New Nacai, Tarkon Nalegen, a revolutionary Basian scientist spearheaded the construction until his death in 381 in an accident during the construction. The accident was a major setback. A recurring trend until the reign of Corentin II. The emperor launched a major initiative. Prompting every sector, system and world to contribute scientists, engineers, and resources to the project. Provided major grants to all who would contribute. This initiative had an unintended side effects on diplomatic relations. The whole galaxy was so focused on finishing New Nacai that old grudges were forgotten. They managed to finish the construction in 26 years in 551. Finally after 200 years in construction, the Serene Directorate moved in, along with representatives from each sectorate. Making New Nacai the diplomatic center of the universe. In those 26 years, more was learned about the construction of megastructures than the first 174 years of the construction. Corentin II decided to capitalize on these advancements, and started several other constructions throughout the empire. It was a costly affair, but empire wide prosperity allowed for it, and even strengthening the economy. His sixty year long reign was fruitful, especially in technological advancement. His reign ended abruptly as he perished in the *Magrib Supernova*. A catastrophe felt across the empire. Corentin III Corentin III succeeded his father after he died in the *Margrib Supernova*. A catastrophic event felt across the empire. The Supernova caused irreparable damage to many worlds. Most importantly, the insurmountable energy spike overcharged the *Tarazi Gateway System* Which temporarily knocked out the system temporarily. Corentin did not plan on taking the seat originally. He was planning on venturing on a deep space exploration mission on a generation ship. His cousin, Iralar was already chosen for the seat, but he too passed in the supernova. The Serene Directorate pleaded to Corentin III to take the seat, which he reluctantly accepted. He pooled the empire’s resources towards restoring the Tarazi Network. Even though FTL functioned without the network, it was considerably slower, and far less accurate. During this crisis Corentin III gave the Serene Directorate unprecedented autonomy as he retreated to Arcazar to oversee the Daghazzat's and orchestrated this efforts from there. Many of the Tarazi gates had to be replaced. First and foremost, Corentin III was a scientist and had limited interest in politics. The Serene Directorate worked in unison to establish a non-Tarazi trade network until it came back online. Corentin III appointed the Coptic Director, Euphenius Theloni as is Grand Chancellor, a title not often enacted to act as an intermediary between the directorates and the Emperor. In reality, Euphenius ran the Empire for ten years as Corentin spent the decade at the Daghazzat's. The Directorate had long become uneasy with the absence of the Emperor, calling for his resignation. At the decades end he emerged from Arcazar via the Nacai Gate in his flagship, the IAN Nubain, with a solution to the problem. Not only did he find the solution, but discovered a way to upgrade the system. Even allowing for Tarazi travel without an anchor gate. Meaning a ship could use the gate to travel to destinations without gates. This revolutionizing discovery changed travel times and how commerce was conducted. The rest of Corentins reign saw unprecedented prosperity. Especially to far away colonies and space habitats, who received a boon to their own trade and the rise of infrastructure.Grand Chancellor Euphenius Theloni kept his position throughout the reign. Which is considered unusual at best. In 665, Corentin III resigned at age 115, to finally live up to his dream of deep space exploration. He departed from the Daghazzat Gate in the generation ship Hescula, and launched itself into deep space without an anchor gate. Like Hescula, he was not heard from again. The Serene Insurrection Empress Damila Agnazari took the seat, vacated by Corentin III in 665. Widely considered to be a brilliant leader, and the youngest person to accept the Imperial Seat. Only 31 of age. Loud voices of dissent could be heard across the empire, and especially on the floor of the Serene Directorate, led by the former Grand Chancellor Euphenius Theloni. The loudest claim was to open the electorate nomination to members outside the Agnazari dynasty, as Euphenius claimed that throughout the rule of Emperor Corentin III, he was the de facto ruler of the Agnazari Empire. It eventually sparked the Serene Insurrection. Euphenius, as the Magister of the Serene Directorate and uncle to the Coptic Director, he garnered much support. The original Serene Republics, Copti, Bas, Maketal and Tyraph formed a coalition which launched a sneak attack on New Nacai, swifty occupying it. Before the Agnazari could respond, the rebels plowed through the gateway to Arcazar, the home of the Agnazari dynasty. Moved to occupy the Daghzaggat Foundries and commencing orbital bombardment. The Serene Coalition kept garnering support, bringing Carrow and Ocklay into the fight, while the Dar’Abbah and Dar’Qacha immediately sided with their brethren. Yet again commencing terror strikes on Coptic worlds. Nassius and Varatos suffering the worst of it. With the Agnazari Empire on the brink of collapse, and heavily outnumbered, Empress Damila engaged a protocol which few were aware of. She could shut down the entire gateway network, which could only be activated with the presence of Agnazari capital ships. Which turned their fleets into precise attack instruments. Allowing maneuverability their enemies could not muster. She also gained an unsuspecting ally in the *Siege of Dacia* when a Kalavar IV destroyer emerged through the gateway. It was the Enoch, the Hickory capital ship, which was of course originally an Agnazar naval vessel, gifted to Enoch Low, the Lord of Arlow. A surprisingly large fighting force emerged through the gate. The Agnazari fleet at first took it as an act of hostility, but before a fire was shot, the admiral of the Hickorian fleet identified himself as Waylon Low, the Lord of Arlow, a very distant cousin to Empress Damila, offering their services. Admiral Borvath of the Imperial Navy was not entirely convinced, given the history between the two peoples. It took Damila herself for Admiral Borvath to stand down. As it turned out, Empress Damila and Waylon the Lord of Arlow married in secret at the end of her term as ambassador to the Hickories. Which explained the unlikely alliance. The Agnazari Imperial Navy and the Hickory Fleet brought Dacia to heel, then rendezvoused with the Dari warbands near the Shain System, and from there jumped to Bas and brought the torch to every world that would oppose them while the Arcazar home fleets defended their homeworlds. The Imperial Navy with the Hickory and Dar contingent, even outnumbered held a significant advantage of being able to use the Gateway system. After three years of fighting, Coptic and Basian fleets made a grave mistake. They systematically began destroying the gateways. It had the same effect as when the Maketal Republic attacked the gateway near Trai in 323, which sparked the beginning of the *Gateway War*. Even though it was a right tactical move to try to neutralize the enemies mobility, it caused dissent within their ranks. It was well known that the *Tarazi Gateways* were incredibly costly, and also a finite resource. And last but not least, the network is crucial to intergalactic trade. Empress Damila used the disorder amongst the rebels to divide them, eventually declaring victory in 677. Even though victory was gained, peace was not. The Serene Directorate was non functional. Damila used her executive power, which was rarely used and never to this scale, when she forced the original Serene Republic states to change their leadership. Most of said leadership was under lock and key, but still technically in power. Tyraph was the first to conform, Maketal second, Bas a close third, but the Copti, in lieu of their well known stubbornness, came in last, and not until Euphenius passed away in his cell in New Nacai in 679. The Serene Directorate stabilizes and becomes functional. But not the same way as before. The harmony created by Corentin II was undone, and political climate was hectic at best. The Damilian Restoration After the war, Empress Damila was faced with a major task. The damage caused by the war was tremendous, and costly. Just replacing the destroyed gateways in itself was incredibly costly. The cost of one gateway could rise to a decades worth of GDP of several systems. And with the Daghzaggat Foundries damaged, it was a timely affair. 72 gateways were lost in the conflict, and in the meantime she decided to relocate several gateways. Most of the gateways that got relocated were from systems that were responsible for the destruction of the almost priceless gateways. That decision was heavily opposed by local governments, but eventually grudgingly accepted. The Agnazari offered grants to all worlds who would exceed their production goals to raise production and prosperity. Some Sectorates responded well, managed to far exceed the goals. Namely Ocklay and Tyraph. Bas and Copti struggled the most. With their heavily damaged infrastructure. By the year 700, twenty gateways had been replaced and most of the more serious damage from the war had been repaired. The Serene Gridlock (712-719) In 712, Empress Damila was diagnosed with a deadly disease known as the Garveld-Jai Disease which even the most advanced of medicine could not deal with. As per tradition, and official imperial law, she had to name a successor, which had to be accepted by a majority vote in the Serene Directorate. She named her second cousin, Ducas. A well versed man in his early forties. Before the war he studied in the renowned Halica University in Sophotos. During the war he commanded the 2nd Yer in the defense of Daghzaggat. He was a good choice. Even besides the fact that there were not that many Agnazari’s left after the war. To much surprise, the Directorate rejected him. She was forced to choose another candidate. For her second nomination she chose her daughter Scylar, which originally abdicated from the line of succession to pursue scholastic ambitions. She too was rejected. After the fourth nomination was rejected Empress Damila, in less than good health convened an emergency meeting, where she discovered the rejections were not based on the merits of the nominees. A powerful lobby of worlds without gateways came forth stating they would reject all nominees until the gateways would be replaced while Empress Damila still breathed. The Directorate came to a standstill. Empress Damila refused to give into their demands. And she could not without losing standing. As the administrative cogs of the Directorate slowed down, she assumed more direct control, making use of her executive power, excluding the Copti and Bas from the conversation. It was impossible though to exclude them from the nominee vote, which would be a major breach of constitutional directives. After three ardius years Empress Damila succumbed to her sickness and died in bed. She worked until her final day, operating the empire in the most centralized capacity it had ever been since the end of expansion. She died without a nominated heir. As per law and tradition, if an emperor dies without a nominated heir, a Dowager is temporarily placed on the seat. A Dowager is either a parent, spouse, or a child of the deceased emperor/empress. A Dowager can not hold the seat longer than five years. It is though possible for a Dowager to nominate themselves and get elected. Scylar, daughter of Damila took the seat, poised to successfully defuse the gridlock. The problem only escalated. Basian and Coptic interest continued to refuse to vote for succession. The delegation from Dar’Abbah pushed their own canditate. Ul’Gur Dar’Abbah, who was matrilineally Agnazari. Iastia pledged to support majority votes. Maketal and Tyraphi leadership was possibly even more infuriated with their serene brethren, as the gridlock was negatively affecting their economy. The Hickory on the other hand supported Scylar Agnazari for the seat. In the second yar into her Dowagership, Dowager Scylar turned to desperate measures. Both Coptic and Basian leadership continued to prevent the imperial succession process. Citing imperial law, she expelled the Coptic and Basian consulates from the Directorate. It was unprecedented in the 367 year history of the Serene Directorate for an entire consulate to be outright expelled. The Bas and Copti in turn reacted drastically. They attacked the Directorate with loyalist forces. Successfully assassinating several key members of the Directorate, and managed to kidnap Dowager Scylar Agnazari. They occupied a small but significant part of New Nacai. After a year long siege, the famed Stratarch Nizar Necazari, a close relative to Scylar, and Ticana Ashanar, a legendary Navarch, the grandchild of Corentin III, launch a coordinated attack on the orders of the temporary Dowager, Ducas. The attack was successful. Unfortunately Dowager Scylar died in the assault by the hand of the Copti soldiers. Dowager Ducas declared martial law and then temporarily dissolved the Serene Directorate to appoint himself emperor with the support of Stratarch Nizar and Stratarch Ticana. When the Directorate reconvened, both Copti and Bas leadership was excluded. Losing their seats in the Directorate. Unexpectedly, the first matter presented by Emperor Ducas was succession reforms. From now on nominees did not have to carry the name Agnazari by birth, but being related in at least the fourth generation was enough to receive nomination. The Ducasian Subjugation (720-736) In 720 Emperor Ducas named Navarch Ticana Ashanar as Grand Chancellor to spearhead the subjugation of the Coptic and Basian Sectorates. The Serene Directorate agreed that the Copti and Basian leadership were no longer functional Sectorates within the Agnazari Empire. The full might of the empire weighed down on both Basian and Coptic territories. Worlds willing to surrender unconditionally were shown mercy. Those who resisted were not. The subjugation was one sided, but a time consuming. Copti and Bas was stripped of their local leadership. Autonomy greatly reduced, and all armed forces were disbanded. Grand Chancellor Ticana stepped down from her office as the conflict ended. The Rise of the Corsairs After the subjugation of Bas and Copti, Emperor Ducas relinquished much of his assumed executive power to follow the mandates of his predecessors. He turned to economic reforms. Though not as gifted in economics as most of his predecessors, he proved an effective leader. Many of his efforts were hindered by a significant rise of piracy. He allowed the Directorate to focus on economic reforms while he focused on reforming the GHC (Galactic Highway Constabulary), significantly improving the naval forces of the empire out of his own pocket. The pirates of the era had become increasingly sophisticated. They held their own against elite imperial squadrons in skirmish battles, but lacked the staying power for long winded campaigns. It was widely suspected that the pirates were funded by a megacorporation or wealthy political entitites. The Jatsariq disaster In 769 during the Jatsariq, an ancient Dar tradition occurring once every decade, where representatives from all the Dars meet in competition and festivities came to an abrupt end. The Agnazari had been absent from the Jatsariq for three decades, due to rebellions, civil unrest and diplomatic turmoil. They arrived in their capital ship with a sizable honor guard for safe keeping. It did not help the Agnazari when a nuke detonated from within The Ciprian. In one fell swoop the entire Agnazari family were erased from existence. The massive EMP disabled the fleets in orbit and caused a massive blackout on Ikinhun. The word spread slower than expected due to technical difficulties caused by the nuclear device. Eventually the news reached the Serene Directorate. Who scrambled to discover the perpetrators and select a new ruler for the seat. The first non-Agnazari. Former Grand Chancellor, Navarch Ticana Ashanar was placed as Dowager to find a nominee. She was expected to nominate herself as she qualified for nomination. She on the other hand, nominated Timortin Barca, who could trace his lineage directly to Jacazar II. Born in Tyraphi but raised in Dar’Abbah. Widely considered a noble man who fought with the famed Qur’har squadron against the latest rebellion against the Copti. Before that a famous pirate hunter who retired with "wings untouched" to accept a governor position in Iastia when called to the Serene Directorate. The vote was unanimous, and Timortin was sworn in less than two months after the Jatsariq disaster. There was a long winded discussion at the Directorate’s floor, if the empire should still be called the Agnazari Empire. In the end most parties agreed, because according to the succession law, all nominal candidates have to have Agnazari blood to qualify for succession, there was no reason to change the name. The Time of Timortin Emperor Timortin continued the work already started, to find the assassins of the Agnazari. Every spy and sensor in the galaxy was focused on the task. The Imperial Intelligence Agency was allowed to operate autonomously with a never ending budget. The sense of nobility that shrouded Emperor Timortin gave way for the hellbent drive to discover the assassins. With every passing year civil liberties were reduced. Especially within Copti and Bas. The Serene Directorate grew discontent with the situation, but were unable to act upon their discontentment. In 771, Dul’Yur Var-Caraz, a separatists group in Carrow was discovered to be complicit in the assassination. The group was interrogated fiercely. Eventually revealing Dar leadership to be complicit. Chorgan Glain Dar’Abbah, and members of the Dar’Qacha high council were named as responsible members of the plot, along with the rise of piracy. It caused an uproar. Emperor Timortin demanded responsible members would turn themselves in. The demand was refused. Timortin launched a surprise attack on several key worlds, starting a war known as the war name. Dar’Qacha and Dar’Abbah were the main theatres of the war. During the fighting, planetfall was rarely performed, as the imperial forces at the command of the emperor. Unexpectedly, Both Copti and Bas were uplifted for the war. All restrictions were removed and they were allowed to enter the fight. The war was unique for the fact, in the history of galactic wars, never before were privateers translation:pirates used to such an extent. The Dar territories historically considered notorious for giving free haven to pirates, explained as much. The Imperial forces in most aspects held the advantage. The Dari held a home advantage and the ability to strike on several targets at once with the sheer number of technologically inferior fighters. The Dari on the other hand, could match them in numbers, though technologically inferior, but their forces were extremely experienced. Emperor Timortin himself joined the fight himself, with his extensive experience with pirate tactics, leading the war efforts with Navarch Ticana Ashanar. The Agnazari Empire declared victory in 783. The Dar’Qacha Chorgan was captured who managed to get his council to lay down arms, while the Dar’Abbah Chorgan was killed in battle, which sent the Sectorate into civil war for leadership. The Imperial navy kept a presence in Dar’Abbah to join the civil war, supporting the claim of a young Dag leader. Emperor Timortin announced he will resign in 790. The rest of his reign was focused on cracking down on piracy, and attempting to finish what Empress Damila began, to restore the gateway network to what it was since before the Serene Gridlock. He was not successful, as he was not as proficient in statecraft as expected. The Last Emperor Jupiter Necazari III replaced Emperor Timortin in 790. He was the great-grandson of Empress Damila Agnazari. Widely liked among members of the Directorate, and a prestigious bureaucrat. He was a member of the Serene Directorate for fifteen years. Jupiter gave up his office to take direct part of reformation efforts far and wide in the galaxy. His efforts made him a folk hero from one end of the empire to the other. In general, his rule was wildly successful. He managed to bring Copti and Bas back to the table. Strengthening poorer systems. Improved infrastructure. He brought prosperity to the empire in a very short time span that had not been seen since the Corentin era. In many aspects, his rule was shrouded in mystery. He made few public appearances, and details about his life and daily business became a well guarded secret. Theorists conjured unsubstantiated rumours which spoke of a secret war among the six successor dynasties who fought for the coveted imperial seat. He died in 812, 79 years of age. His death was ruled a suicide, but his eldest son, Taius Necazari contested the ruling, proclaming it an assassination. The Imperial Schism After Emperor Jupiter’s death, the empire suffered a yet another succession crisis. It was widely believed that Jupiter had nominated Taius in his final testament. It may be unorthodox to leave the nomination in the final testament, but it might support the theories of internal strife to keep the nominee safe until the vote. It was revealed that Jupiter had no final testament. It caused an uproar amongst the Necazari. They believed his final testament was stolen by the other families. Unable to substantiate their claim, a Dowager had to be placed in the seat. Taius was named Dowager began the nomination proceedings. Taius named himself, while the six dynasties (Ashanar, Barca, Low, Zahar, Iustus and Ignachi) who legitimately had succession rights all proclaimed their own successor. After a six month stalemate, Dowager Taius decided to allow an open candidate election among the successor dynasties, for the Serene Directorate to vote on. The events for the following months are widely debated, but it is fair to say the result was not expected. With numerous controversies, accusations of subterfuge, bribes, assassinations and accusations of rigging the vote sparked the dreaded *Elector War* in 813, as the result of the vote rejected by several parties. The popular vote would had awarded the seat to Taius Necazari. Illion Ashanar, the Arcazar Sectorate Director, rejected the result, stating the vote was rigged. Her accusations were not unwarranted. The Serene Directorate demanded another vote. Taius rejected the notion entirely. Illion mustered her allies and attacked, thus beginning the *Elector War* The beginning of the war was the de facto end of the Agnazari Empire, and the end was the de jure end of the war, as it ended without a clear winner. The two factions formed separate empires, the Necazari Federation, and the Ashanar Confederacy.